


New Beginnings

by Fumm95



Series: Morning Glory (Jace Malcom & Satele Shan) [25]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M, I had a lot of problems with that expansion but their reunion wasn't one of them lol, Knights of the Eternal Throne, Reunion Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 16:57:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8924905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fumm95/pseuds/Fumm95
Summary: After Valkorion's fall, during the rebuilding of Coruscant, Jace and Satele finally meet once more.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I basically started this as soon as I saw that cutscene but school was also kicking my butt so I finally finished it now. But rest assured that much shrieking took place when I first saw it. You know, those two seconds of almost eye-contact? :P

The war truly is over.

Satele knows it the moment the shockwave blasted through the galaxy, explosive and oppressing, almost enough to drive her off her feet. One final, desperate attack by Vitiate, it seems.

Even so, she almost doesn't believed it, _fears_ to believe that it is possible until Marr, long since passed away but still awaiting his vengeance, confirms its truth, first verbally and then by relinquishing his seemingly endless hold to his half-existence and returning to the Force. Then does it finally sink in; only were he absolutely certain of Vitiate’s death and a possible restoration of peace would Marr move on. Which means, after years and far, far too many casualties, it is finally done.

She can go home.

Setting her ship’s coordinates to Coruscant is an altogether strange experience. Technically, she left the Order to find atonement and her own path, but now… But now she will seek to return, if not to its folds, then at least to find some way she can still provide for the Republic. It is the least she can do.

* * *

 

Her actual return to Coruscant is an inconspicuous one, slipping in among the flood of refugees and veterans of the war returning to their war-torn homes. It is exactly what she hopes for, with none of the fanfare that she so loathed during her years as Grand Master.

Still, old friends seek her out. Syo Bakarn, unsurprisingly, is the first to find her, bringing news from the rest of the Children of the Emperor as well the state of both the Jedi Order and the Republic as a whole. Bela Kiwiiks soon follows, her friend’s genuine relief and joy at the reunion enough to push away some of the icy guilt that has plagued her since the beginning of the war. Even some members of the Republic senate and military search her out with genuine friendliness and well-wishes. All except…

There has been no sighting of _him_ since she left.

That isn't to say that she hasn't heard about his exploits, hasn't made it a _point_ to ensure knowledge of his continued well-being. His position was tricky, balancing his responsibilities and command with the insidious grasp Saresh had somehow commandeered, and she had gone out of her way to keep up with his relative success, if only to reassure herself that the Republic had someone looking out for its best interests, as she knew Jace always would.

But to discover things second or third hand, to read about his achievements instead of hear about them. To know that her return has been noted and apparently ignored… It is, perhaps, the closest she has to receiving what she deserves after abandoning the Republic that he loves—after abandoning _him_ , but…

But even so, it _stings_ , twinging of unsaid words and forgotten emotions and—she cannot lie to herself—lost opportunities, hints of a different path, a different choice made years ago, which she has only kept hidden under a carefully cultivated indifference and which, it seems, distance and her strange pilgrimage on the Force have brought back into sharp relief.

Then again, that is the life she chose for herself years ago, when she put the good of the Republic, the good of the Jedi, above her own needs, and no amount of regret will change that now. And like then, she throws herself into the task at hand, burying the pang in her chest with each passing day under the work of rebuilding Coruscant, of clearing debris and restoring the Senate building to its previous glory.

Surrounded by other Jedi, who welcome her back with open arms and nothing more than a few curious glances, and caught up in her work, she almost doesn't sense _his_ presence, stealing its way through her subconscious as only he ever could. It is not until he strides into visual range, close enough that she knows there is no way he could possibly miss her, does she realize and turn to look.

To no great surprise, he appears much the same as he always has; other than a few more wrinkles, expected considering his years of being the mediator between Saresh and the rest of the Republic military, he looks the same as the man she left, all those years ago. Time had been kinder to him than to her, it seems.

Perhaps he sees it too; as their eyes meet, he freezes, his step faltering. It is quick enough that it is mostly unnoticeable, but she knows him well enough to see the shock in his gaze, and as he draws closer, the warmth and relief and deep, inexplicably breathtaking _longing_ underneath.

For a moment, her voice fails her as he comes to a stop, seemingly oblivious to the curious looks from the other Jedi. His brow furrows in concern as she takes another breath, clears her throat. “Supreme Commander Malcom,” she manages at last.

The simple title should not be enough to bring a smile, brighter than the Tatooine suns, to his face, and yet it appears to nonetheless as he inclines his head in a solemn manner completely at odds to his delight.

“Master Shan,” he returns gravely, though she notes faintly that his tone is little more controlled than hers.

Without thinking, she steps closer, shaking her head. “A master no longer. I suppose it is simply Satele now.”

A strange hint of melancholy touches his expression as he nods once, quick and serious. “I’m sorry.”

In spite of herself, she blinks. “Whatever for?”

He shrugs, casting his eyes around at the ruins of the Senate tower around them, and she suddenly recalls the groups of Jedi still assisting in the rebuilding effort. She has already sat out more than enough of the past few years, has run away from dealing with Zakuul’s destruction for too long. She can’t abandon her work now, not after finally returning to the folds of the Republic to provide what aid she still can.

Even in spite of how much she suddenly wants to.

Before she can even speak, Jace bows his head, his features suddenly settling into an inscrutable mask. “Ah, that’s right. My apologies for interrupting. I’m sure you have plenty of work to do still.”

Panic, sharp and unfamiliar after lying dormant for so many years, blossoms in her chest as he steps away and she reaches for him before she realizes she’s moving. “Jace, wait!”

He turns and, for a brief moment, his face is unguarded; pain and acceptance war in his eyes, along with the joy and relief from before, and, to her utter relief, hope, almost too quick to catch before his expression smooths out once more. “Yes?”

Heart inexplicably _pounding_ , she takes a deep breath before forcing herself to meet his gaze. “I need to finish up here but it shouldn't take too much longer. I…” She hesitates, pushes the thought of the many spectators witnessing their exchange, the altogether too familiar whispers of the Jedi Code, out of her mind. He deserves nothing less and everything more than what she has already given him. “Could I find you after that?”

For one terrible, impossibly long, second, he considers and she cannot help but wonder if he will reject her outright before he finally speaks. “Of course. I think we have quite a bit to discuss.” In spite of his calm demeanor, his eyes seem to soften, just a hint. “And I look forward to it.”

She can barely stop her hands from fidgeting as she nods and looks away. “Understood.”

“And Satele?” As she turns back around, something in his voice arrests her, draws her gaze back up to him and the smile that creeps back across his face, full of affection that catches her breath, that she isn’t sure she deserves but that she finds herself relishing nonetheless. “Welcome back.”


End file.
